Solar Complications
by Ninja-Consultant
Summary: Kryptonians derive not only derive their powers from solar energy, but it's essential to their life. What happens when it turns from benign to deadly for two of them? A four part story. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Also, if you have not read my other stories, it would be helpful to do so before reading this one. The chronology goes: Brothers in Arms, Where Do We Go From Here, Tragedies of the Past, Betrayal From Within, Future Sins, Reestablishing Bonds, Parents and Children, New Allies, Rivals or Friends, Public Enemy Number One, Double Date, and Mind Games.

Solar Complications, chapter 1

1.

"Superman, Superboy, you'll never stop me!" Dr. Photonic shouted at the two approaching heroes.

"Let's take this Dr. Light wannabe, Supes," Superboy said. "It'll be a piece of cake."

"First, we've got to take care of the building that's about to collapse," Superman reminded him. "I'll hold it up while you evacuate it."

"Gotcha!"

As the two heroes dealt with the building, the villain irradiated them with various wavelengths of light.

"By my calculations, you should be powerless now!" he crowed.

"I'm fine, what about you?" asked Kon-El.

"It ticked a bit," Superman admitted.

Dr. Photonic drew back. "This cannot be! My calculations were flawless!"

Superboy slugged him across the jaw, and the villain dropped to the ground. Match flew in a moment later.

"I was detained," he explained. "It appears that you have the situation in hand."

"The building is still unstable," Superman said.

Match looked at it, and pieces of rubble flew back to it. Superman fused them in with his heat vision.

"They'll need to give it some real repairs later, but that should take it out of immediate danger," Match said.

"I'll make sure that they understand that," Superman said. "Thanks, both of you, for your help!"

"That guy didn't hurt you, did he?" Match asked. "He's supposed to have light-based powers. They may have interacted with your bodies in unusual ways."

"How'd you know that?" Superboy asked. "I didn't know this guy's name until he spouted it as he attacked us."

"He's in the JLA files. I've studied them."

"He tried to do something, but it had no effect," Superman said.

"Yeah, I guess he's not so good with his powers," Kon said.

"I guess he's more of a Mr. Photonic than a Dr. Photonic," Superman joked.

Kon and Match exchanged a glance at the joke.

"I think I know who you get your sense of humor from," Kon told him.

"I don't think I'll ever tell another joke again," Match said.

"Hey!" exclaimed Superman. "It's not that bad!"

2.

Conner was feeling sick. He had just thrown up and still felt awful. He went to the sink to clean up and get the taste out of his mouth. After that, he went back to the lunch table.

"You look like crap," Max told him.

"Someday I'm going to teach you about tact," Conner said. "I'm sick."

Max looked concerned. "We don't usually get sick. Do you want me to get someone to take a look at you?"

"Nah. It's probably just something that I ate."

Max looked offended. "I cook everything you eat. There's no reason that you should be sick while I am not. Besides, I'm not going to give you improperly prepared food."

"I think I might get Jonathan to pick me up. I'm not sure that I can make it through the day. Are you going to be okay on your own?"

Max gave an involuntary glace at where Dan used to sit. He hadn't been there since the psychics had abducted them.

"I'm not the one you should be concerned about," he said.

"I hate to leave you alone."

"I'll be fine. You don't need to be an overprotective older brother."

3.

"Good lord, son!" Jonathan exclaimed. "You look awful!"

Conner smiled weakly. "That's my family. They're always ready to boost your self-esteem."

"I'll take you home, and Martha will get some of her chicken soup into you. That and some rest should make you feel better."

"I hope so. I don't want to feel like this for any longer than I have to."

4.

"Are you okay, Kent?" Perry asked. "You're not looking like you're in good shape."

"I'm fine," Clark said with a weak smile. "It's probably just a little bit of tiredness."

"Take the rest of the day off," Perry ordered. "You're a good reporter, but if you're sick, you'll make mistakes."

"Lois still works when she's sick," Clark pointed out.

"I've given up telling her to go home. She ignores me and does what she wants."

Clark managed a weak grin. "That sounds like Lois."

5.

"Are you feeling better?" Max asked.

"No," Conner responded.

Max put his hand on Conner's forehead. "You're warm. You shouldn't be up. Go back to bed, and I'll bring you some soup."

Conner made a face. "I'm sick of soup."

"Then I'll bring you a cup of tea," Max said, going to the stove.

"Ugh. Your tea is funny. You put milk in it."

"It's served in a traditional way."

When Conner didn't respond, Max looked over. He had passed out and was lying on the floor.

"Conner!" he shouted as he rushed over.

6.

"Get back in bed, Smallville," Lois ordered. "You shouldn't be up."

"I'm fine," Clark said unconvincingly.

"If your definition of fine means 'about to fall over,' then you may be right."

"You're exaggerating."

"You're pale and sweating. Go rest."

Lois heard a thud and went over to see what happened. Clark had passed out on the floor.

"Clark!" she cried out.

-----

Any and all comments welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Solar Complications, chapter 2

1.

Match looked at Superboy and Superman lying in the medical bay beds. He was forced to observe from behind a glass barrier with Supergirl because the doctors were worried that their ailment might spread to Kryptonians or those with Kryptonian genes.

Specialists from STAR Labs had been teleported to the Watchtower to see if they could find out what was wrong. They were just finishing the first batch of tests.

"We'll compare Superman's readings to our records," Dr. Charles said. "We don't have equivalent readings for Superboy, though. Match, would you allow us to take your readings so we have a baseline to compare from?"

"Of course," Match replied. "I'll do anything I can to help."

"Do you need my readings too?" Supergirl asked. "I want to help too!"

"We'll take them, just in case," Dr. Charles said. "After that, we're going to have to wait and see what the tests say."

2.

"Can the Kents come up to see them?" Kara asked. "I know they must be worried."

"Once the doctors leave, they'll come," Max said. "They'll be able to come into contact with them, which should do them some good."

3.

Conner felt something cool press against his forehead. His eyes struggled open to see Martha holding a wet cloth to him. She smiled at him.

"You're awake, that's good," she said.

"What happened?" Conner asked through a parched throat.

She poured some water down his throat, and he swallowed.

"You and Clark are sick," she explained. "You both passed out. You're in the JLA Watchtower. Doctors from STAR Labs have been here to see you."

"Be strong, son," Jonathan said. "They'll have figured out what's wrong and fix it in no time."

Conner turned his head to see Lois talking softly to a bed-ridden Clark. He looked around and saw Kara and Max watching from behind a glass panel. Kara gave him a smile, and Max looked serious.

Conner weakly pointed at them. "Are they okay?"

"They're fine," Martha said. "They wanted to be in here with us, but the doctors were worried that other Kryptonians might catch this."

"Is there anything we can get you?" Jonathan asked.

"A little more water, please," he croaked.

4.

"Any ideas on how this happened to them?" Kara asked Max.

"I believe it's something that Dr. Photonic did to them," he stated. "I've already shared my suspicions with the doctors. Hopefully, they'll be able to isolate the cause and cure them soon."

"Kru, who's this Dr. Photonic?"

"He's a villain with light-based powers. He fought the two of them within twenty-four hours of the onset of their condition."

"Maybe I should talk to him. He might know something."

"Oracle has already put someone on it."

"How can you be so calm? Aren't you worried?"

"I'm forcing myself to be calm for them. If I can aid the doctors at all, I have to remain calm. I won't show them how distressed I am; it would just make them feel worse."

5.

Max went to school the next day even though his thoughts weren't on his classes at all. After school, he went home to prepare dinner; he'd visit Conner later that night.

There was a knock on the door, and he went to investigate. Opening the door, he saw Dan standing there.

"Hey," Max said, a little surprised to see him.

"How's Conner doing?" Dan asked. "I saw he wasn't at school today."

"He's sick."

"I didn't think you guys got sick. Is he up for a visit?"

"He's not here. He's in the JLA Watchtower."

"You mean, on the moon?"

"I can't do this," Max blurted out. "Things were going so well a week ago. Now, you hate me, and Conner's dying. I can't cope with it."

"Wait, he's dying? What's wrong? And, I don't hate you."

"Yes, you do, and I don't blame you. Somebody Conner fought went and essentially poisoned the solar reserves in his body. The energy that grants him his powers is now killing him."

"I don't hate you. I was angry, but I'm over it."

They sat on the couch and Dan pulled Max's head to rest against his chest.

"I'm here for you," he said softly. "You can let it all out."

Max sobbed a few times before sitting back up. He wiped his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm a little overly emotional right now."

"It's okay. I'm back. I'm here for you."

6.

Dr. Charles' face appeared on the screen in the Watchtower. Those present gave her their full attention.

"I sent the preliminary report," she said. "The stored solar energy reserves of the two have been altered in such a way that their systems are hurt by it. That's caused their condition."

"What caused this alteration?" Green Lantern asked.

"It's most likely the doing of Dr. Photonic," Match explained. "The two of them fought him before they came down with this condition."

"What can we do to cure them?" Batman asked.

"We're not certain yet," Dr. Charles admitted.

"Wouldn't a bombardment of good solar energy flush the bad stuff out of their system?" the Flash asked.

"Possibly. We have considered the possibility, but don't know if it works that way."

"What about leeching the contaminated energy out of them?" Batman asked.

Match shook his head. "If you were to completely drain their bodies of solar energy, it would kill them in their weakened state. Heavy exertion of powers can temporarily reduce their effectiveness, but completely draining them would not leave them alive long enough for even a concentrated bombardment of solar energy. The process to adapt the solar energy to their systems is not instantaneous."

"What's the projected time that they have?" Wonder Woman asked.

"We estimate two or three weeks before their bodies shut down," Dr. Charles answered.

"I think we should try Flash's suggestion," Wonder Woman said.

No one dissented. It looked like the best option.

"I'll get the Ray there as soon as possible," Oracle said.

-----

Any and all comments welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Solar Complications, chapter 3

1.

"So, all I have to do is project this wavelength of light?" the Ray asked.

"Yes," Batman said. "Have you practiced enough?"

"I've got it down. I'm ready."

2.

Conner looked up to see Ray. He smiled weakly.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"I'm here to help," Ray answered. "They think that if I give the two of you more solar energy, it'll overcome the bad stuff in your systems."

"If it makes me feel better, I'm all for it."

Conner looked over to see Clark propped up in bed. Clark noticed and gave him the thumbs up signal.

"We're ready to begin," Batman's voice came from a speaker. "We're monitoring their conditions, and if there's any change, we'll know immediately and tell you."

Ray started to project light onto both of the sick heroes. Conner started to feel better. He smiled.

Suddenly, he and Clark doubled over in pain, screaming in agony.

"Stop!" Batman ordered. "Their conditions have deteriorated."

Ray stopped immediately. "What happened? What went wrong?"

"The corrupted energy seems to have infected this new energy," Dr. Charles reported. "We've made their conditions worse."

3.

Max was visibly upset. Dan tried to calm him.

"They'll be okay," he murmured. "They've lived through worse."

"If they fell in battle, I could accept that," Max said. "For their bodies to betray them like this is worse. I can't do anything. I can only watch while they get weaker."

"You have to trust that someone will figure out a way to save them. They've got the finest minds in the world working on it!"

"Conner came through for me when I was dying. I have to figure out a way to save him."

Dan held him close. "If it were a regular illness, we could just nurse them back to health. I'm no doctor, so I don't know what else we can do."

Max stared at him.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Nursing, that's it!"

Max gave Dan a passionate kiss. "I know how to save them! It's all because of you!"

Dan looked confused. "What did I say?"

Max sprung up. "I've got to get to the Watchtower right away!"

4.

Match felt calm for the first time since Conner had fallen ill. He walked through the Watchtower with purpose.

"What is it, Match?" Batman asked, noticing the change.

"I figured out how to save them," he stated.

"How?"

"We'll flush the contaminated solar energy out of their systems. Then, we'll immediately transfer some of my stored energy to them. In essence, I'll be nursing them."

Batman thought about it. "Since the energy will have already been processed, they'll be able to accept it right into their systems. Do you think that the transfer will be quick enough?"

"Yes."

"What about any danger to you?" Oracle asked.

"By my calculations, it will be minimal. I'm willing to risk it."

"Then we should proceed at once," Batman said.

5.

Conner was unconscious. His condition had deteriorated to the point where if Match's idea was not attempted, he might not wake up again. Match put diodes on his own body and looked at the machinery. He also took a look at Clark, who was ready to undergo the same process after he had finished with Conner. He was unconscious and did not look well.

"Everything is ready," he told Batman. "We should begin."

"Starting the process now," Batman responded, as he threw the switch.

Match gasped in pain as the solar energy was ripped from his body. He kept his concentration on Conner, though. Conner's face contorted in pain as his remaining solar energy was taken from his body, but it relaxed when Match's processed energy entered his.

Conner's eyes fluttered open. "What happened? What's going on?"

Batman threw the switch the other way. "It worked! The process is a success!"

"It took more from Match than the calculations estimated," Oracle said. "He's down to forty percent of his reserves."

"We'll have to wait to do this for Superman until he's had the chance to recover," Batman said.

"There's no time for that," Match said. "Start the process again."

Batman shook his head. "Doing so would most likely kill you."

Match looked down a moment. He weighed his options and then looked up with a determined gleam in his eyes. Before Batman knew what was happening, he found himself being carried out of the room by an unseen force.

"Stop it, Match!" he ordered as he beat on the door to the medical lab.

Max ignored the noise from outside and turned to Conner. "Are you better now?"

Conner looked alert. "I think so. What happened?"

"You and Superman were sick. Do you remember how to perform CPR?"

"I think so. Why?"

Match smiled. "You're going to need to use it. If things don't go as I planned...I love you."

Match flipped the switch as Conner went over to him. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Conner. He saw his brother in agony, yet with the hint of a triumphant smirk on his face. Clark screamed out in pain, but seemed to recover. Max went limp.

"Idiot!" Conner hissed as he ripped off the diodes from Max's body.

He blew air into Match's lungs and compressed his chest. There was no reaction. He did it again. Still, there was no response from Max. Tears in his eyes, he did it a third time. Apparently, the third time was the charm as Max started coughing and reacting.

Conner hugged him. "Don't ever do that again! Promise me!"

Max patted him on the shoulder. "It's over."

-----

The epilogue is forthcoming.

Any and all comments welcome!


	4. Epilogue

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Solar Complications, epilogue

1.

Conner and Max were lying in their beds. Max's cot had finally been replaced by a bed (Jonathan and Martha were quite embarrassed that it had been used for so long), so their room felt a bit smaller. The two were very familiar with everything in the room because they had been forbidden to move without permission.

"If we couldn't survive without solar energy, how did you?" Conner asked his brother. "You pretty much hit empty."

"Clark and you had strained systems," Max explained. "To be deprived at that point would have been very dangerous for you. Even I didn't go completely empty; I had about half a percent of my capacity left. It was the shock of going so low that caused my body problems."

"I do thank you for saving me, but I want you to stop doing stupid stuff that puts your life in danger! You have to have some self-preservation instincts; you should listen to them."

"I was quite confident that you'd save me. I didn't consider it a risk."

"So, what can you do now? Are you powerless until you get more juice?"

"I can still hear and taste things. My telekinesis is weak right now, but it'll get stronger when I absorb more light. I'm not as low as when I was dug out from the Groups' base."

"That's good to hear."

There was a knock on the door. A moment later, Dan walked in.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. "The two of you are looking a lot better!"

"I'm pretty much back to normal," Conner responded.

"I'm fine, considering the circumstances," Max replied.

"Now, what exactly happened?" Dan asked.

"This guy poisoned the solar energy in my body," Conner explained. "It was killing me, but it got flushed out and Max infused part of his energy into me."

"Then, why are you in bed?" Dan asked Max.

"I gave up virtually all of my solar reserves to Conner and Clark," he said. "My system went into shock because of the drastic drop."

"Wait, so you nearly killed yourself to save them?"

"There was a very low chance of that happening."

"Maybe you can talk some sense into him," Conner said. "I can't get him to realize that what he did was dangerous."

"I knew it was dangerous, but that was irrelevant."

"There you go with 'irrelevant' again," Dan said. "I think you're using it when you really mean 'I don't care.' It should have some influence on your actions."

"Everything worked out in the end, so I don't see what the problem is."

Dan gave him a look before asking, "You're not supposed to move without permission, right? That's what your aunt and uncle said."

"Yes. I've been threatened with all sorts of trouble if I move."

"Good."

With that, Dan got on top of Max and proceeded to make out with him.

"Hey, get a room you two!" Conner exclaimed. "I'm right here! Wait for some privacy!"

"Look, this hasn't happened in a couple of weeks because I was dumb and got offended," Dan said. "If you think causing a bit of discomfort is going to stop me, you're underestimating my exhibitionist streak."

"The Kents could be in to check at any moment," Max warned.

"It's nothing they haven't seen before."

"You could be wrong about that," Jonathan said.

Dan got off the bed, his face red. Max, too, was blushing.

"Clark told me that he gave you boys 'the talk' already, so I don't think it'll do any good if I repeat it," Jonathan said. "Maybe it'd be better if I got Martha here to give you the 'be careful' speech instead."

"These were extenuating circumstances," Max explained. "Besides, it wasn't like we were going to go further with people watching."

"I was wondering why you guys took our relationship so well, but I guess it's easy after aliens and clones," Dan said.

2.

On Apokalyps, the mood was tense in the throne room. However, the one that should have felt this tension seemed to ignore it.

"Your plan failed," Darkseid said. "The Kryptonian and his spawn still live."

Kanto shrugged. "Inserting the wavelength into his dreams didn't go as planned. The distance and equipment altered it a bit. Still, it would have been so artistic to have had their deaths come from within."

"The next time, I shall have to use a more direct plan."

-----

As you can see, what Match considers an acceptable risk for himself is not what others would. Still, he was quite confident that Kon would be able to save him if things went as they did at the end of the previous chapter!

Any and all comments welcome!


End file.
